Understanding Messaging Measurement
This week you answer the questions in the apply and discuss at the end of Chapter 4 Section 3. One small change, in the last question in the Apply section.
It asks you to review the website of “several” SMS text platforms providers. Several is such an ambiguous term, review one, but make it a different one than the retailer you chose for the first question in the Apply section.
This week should give you some good insights into SMS.
Section 3: Understanding Messaging Measurement
Measuring and tracking the results of text messaging campaigns is easily accomplished since a messaging application platform counts every message sent and received.
Each text messaging application platform has a “Report” function that allows a marketer to review the most common types of data. The majority of the platforms support the ability to export data or server logs to view a more complete and in depth analysis using a spreadsheet program.
Reviewing Results
For incoming text messages, a text messaging application report shows:
- The user phone number. (Note that since a phone number is unique it’s possible to learn if someone attempted to participate in a program multiple times.)
- The user’s wireless carrier.
- The time and date the message arrived.
- The keyword(s) that will tell which text program the message is from, such as a vote, sweepstakes or subscription service, how many people voted for a specific polling option or how many people opted into a program. The system will also capture incorrect keywords, which can be used to catch spelling errors or try to identify other customer service issues.
- The Common Short Code used.
- Any additional information requested within a call to action, such as a zip code, email address, pin number or coupon redemption code.
Every time the system sends a message it will show:
- The phone number(s) to where the message was sent. To which carriers the message was sent.
- The date and time stamp.
- If the message was successfully delivered.
- Using the sent and received data, an application platform will calculate a number of statistics, or a marketer can calculate the: Number of unique participants in a campaign.
- Number of multiple participants in a campaign (those with multiple entries). Total number of subscription subscribers.
- Total number of opt outs.
- Total churn (discussed in Chapter 3), or the ratio of total opt ins versus opt outs. That number also depends on your industry.[1]
- How many people opt in, opt out or respond to specific versions of the content? This is helpful for A/B testing or split testing content. By comparing more than one version of a message, marketers can see which version gives the best conversion rates, given similar visitors at the same time.
- Messaging breakdown by carrier or region of the country or world.
Effectiveness of different media channels. If a unique keyword was created for each media channel, such as mag1, mag2 and mag3, a marketer can measure which channel generated the most traffic or even measure each ad in the same medium.
When combining text messaging data with other data from within a company a marketer can generate additional insights. For example, time stamps correlated with incoming calls can reveal if text message traffic is generating call center traffic through any click to call actions included in the text message.
Links in a text message can be coordinated with Web traffic, especially if a dedicated landing page was created specifically for a text messaging campaign. If a phone number is used as a loyalty program number, or if a phone number is correlated to a loyalty program, a marketer can track loyalty engagement and track sales revenues directly linked to programs.
mCoupons
Measurement of text messaging has been thoroughly studied and the published findings indicate which types of messages and expiration dates work best. Mobile coupons or mCoupons can be sent via an SMS text or QR code and customers can redeem them instore or online. mCoupons are growing fast because consumers appreciate the value they receive. What’s important is where they’re delivered. The delivery time and the time to redemption is generally shorter than traditional print coupons, creating urgency. Customers want to know the face value above all. One category that has proven very effective for mCoupons is snack foods, due to the frequency of purchase and perceived high price point.[2]
In Chapter 5 we focus on mobile apps.
Key Terms
- A/B testing – also called split testing or bucket testing. This can compare two versions of websites or apps to determine which performs best.
- Keywords – a word used to classify or organize digital content, or to facilitate an online search for information
- mCoupons – mobile coupons, which can use Near Field Communications (NFC) technology
- Mass text messaging-sending texts in bulk
- Opt outs – choose not to participate in something
- Server logs – a log file consisting of the activities that were completed. A web server log keeps a history of web server requests.
- Time stamps – sequence of characters identifying when something occurred.
Mobile Marketing Challenge:
Discuss
- What are some of the data that are available from SMS text campaign reporting?
- The value of combining SMS reporting with other channel reports.
Apply
- Review the mobile website for a retailer of your choice and determine how well it presents content and how easy it is to get the pages you want served to you on your mobile device.
- Review the websites of several SMS text platform providers and compare what they offer and how they measure campaigns.